How Do We Reach the Ancestor Worshippers in China?

by Wesley Kawato

What if the dead controlled the lives of the living? That's the premise behind ancestor worship. In ancient times, ancestor worship was a part of Greek and Roman religion, but the spread of Christianity put an end to this false belief. Not so in East Asia. Ancestor worship is still alive and well in China, Japan, and a few other East Asian countries. Sub-Saharan African peoples have their own variations of ancestor worship.

What is Ancestor Worship?
Those involved in ancestor worship believe the dead have the power to reward or punish the living. Clan leaders often use the fear of being punished by dead ancestors as a way of controlling the behavior of other members of the extended family.

Ancestor worship also involves the belief that the dead have similar needs to the living. In China, many homes still have altars where people make offerings to the dead. A Chinese altar to the dead will consist of a table, where offerings are placed, and pictures of the dead relative or relatives. Sometimes a slip of paper that has the name, birth date, and death date of the ancestor will take the place of a picture, if a photo is not available. They place food on such altars to insure that the dead won't go hungry in the next life. Families will also burn "spirit money" to make sure their dead relatives are monetarily provided for in the after life. Such people feel that it is most important to meet the needs of the dead. They believe that an angry ancestor could cause the living members of a family to suffer calamities; or that a happy ancestor might be willing to bless the family with favorable events.

In China, ancestor worship is deeply rooted in history, going back to at least the 6th century B.C. Confucius taught the importance of honoring elders, both living and dead. Even today, the peer pressure to worship one's ancestors is still strong. Family members consider those who don't worship their ancestors to be rebellious. In years past, the Communist Party tried to discourage ancestor worship, especially during the Cultural Revolution of the 1960s and 70s. For the most part, these efforts failed.

Is ancestor worship a barrier to the gospel?
Over the years, ancestor worship has been a serious obstacle in trying to win the people of China to the Lord. In Taiwan today, Buddhist parents who are involved in ancestor worship are willing to send their children to Christian schools. The resistance starts only when those children express a desire to receive baptism. This is because the parents fear the converted children will bring curses upon the family by refusing to worship their ancestors.

In the past, Christian missionaries serving in China equated ancestor worship with idolatry. Consequently (though not necessarily a prerequisite for conversion), once they were a true believer in Jesus, missionaries would show them that the Bible teaches that they should no longer make offerings to their ancestors. Such a counter-cultural requirement often kept many from being willing to accept Christ. Many people weren't willing to receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior if it meant being disowned by their families.

Is ancestor worship idolatry? One Christian spokesman has suggested that the motives of the convert should be examined before this question is answered. Is it possible that a new convert, if his motives are changed, can continue to show honor to his ancestors by bowing at a family altar without that act being seen as worship? Many Christian theologians would find such a practice going beyond legitimate cultural contextualization.

People converted from ancestor worship need to be taught the truth about what happens to the dead. Those who have died no longer need food or money to survive. Spirits no longer have physical needs. Do they always even deserve our honor? And where are the spirits of these ancestors who supposedly receive this honor?

While many people involved in ancestor worship don't even believe the dead are aware of the offerings given to them by the living, they engage in such practices as a way of expressing the need for family harmony. All will acknowledge the need for harmonious living as a part of the teachings of Jesus Christ. Ephesians 6:1-4 speaks of the need for various family members to live in peace with one another. At the same time, we are faced with questions: Can harmonious relationships be cultivated at the possible expense of obedience to Christ? Once Jesus is accepted into one's life, is there any room for devotion for, or altars to, any other spirit? We certainly may be devoted to our beloved ancestors. But our devotion is to their memory, not to their spirits. Perhaps missionaries will be able to find acceptable ways for Chinese converts to honor the memories of their ancestors without worshipping their spirits.

Prayer needs:

• Christian workers need our prayers in places like China, where ancestor worship is common. There is a marked difference between the showing of respect for ancestors and worshipping ancestors. Such workers need plenty of wisdom to discern the difference. Many people groups in China mix elements of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism. An act that has religious overtones in one culture may have no such implications in another.
• The people of China also need our prayers. They continue to worship their ancestors' spirits because they believe these spirit beings are powerful. Many Chinese can be persuaded to receive Jesus as Savior if they see God's power in action. What may be needed today are people like the Apostle Peter, who raised the lame man at the temple gate to his feet and restored his ability to walk. Not every Christian believes the gift of healing is operative today, but let's keep an open mind. Mission history is full of examples of instances where the Lord proves He is all-powerful through healings. The Lord allowed miracles to be performed in Indonesia during the revival of the 1970s. Perhaps God will allow the same thing to happen in China during the first decade of the 21st century.
• Let us also pray for the people being reached. Those coming from an ancestor worshipping background often are afraid to receive the Lord because they fear being disowned by their families. The power of Christian fellowship can ease such fears. People would be less fearful of converting if they knew they would be joining a warm, loving fellowship capable of replacing any family relationships they might lose.
• This writer knows the power of Christian fellowship. I come from a Japanese Buddhist home where family members worshipped our ancestors. When my parents threatened to disown me, my involvement in a church, where warm loving fellowship was a weekly reality, kept me from falling away from the Lord. Pray that Christian converts from similar backgrounds will be enabled by the Holy Spirit to stand firm in their faith.
• Let us remember that there is a spiritual war being fought in our world today. China is on the front lines of that conflict. Ancestor worship is one of Satan's most powerful weapons in that war. The enemy uses the fear of being punished by dead ancestors to enslave the peoples of China. Peer pressure from family members makes this sense of bondage doubly difficult. Jesus Christ has promised us victory. The gates of hell won't remain standing for long against those who march forward in faith.